New Writing North events

Thought I would share with my followers the information that New Writing North have sent me:

Emily Wilding Davison Centenary: writing competition A national writing competition has just been launched as part of the Emily Inspires! programme of events to mark 100 years since the death of Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison from injuries sustained when struck by the King’s racehorse at Epsom Derby and to commemorate her Northumberland roots. The writing competition is run by audio entertainment site listenupnorth.com in partnership with Northumberland Libraries. Judges include writers Wendy Robertson, Michael Chaplin and Janet MacLeod Trotter. There will be first, second & third prizes for both national and best of Northumberland entries and the winning entries will be read out over the Emily Inspires! Centennial weekend in Morpeth (13-15 June) and recorded for listenupnorth.com. For more information go to www.emilyinspires.net.

Hexham Book Festival supports local charity with Angela Carter event Queen’s Hall, Hexham: Wednesday 24 April, 6.30pm Hexham Book Festival, which runs 24 April-2 May, is hosting an event with Susannah Clapp, talking about her friend, novelist Angela Carter, with 50% of the proceeds to the charity Bright at Hexham Hospital’s Breast Cancer Unit. Susannah, theatre critic for the Observer, will talk about her book, A Card from Angela Carter, which looks at how their friendship was charted via Carter’s anarchic postcards to her friend, giving a fresh insight into this enduringly appealing writer. Tickets: £8/£6 (concs) from www.queenshall.co.uk or 01434 652 477.

Opportunities

Mslexia poetry and novel competitions Mslexia, the magazine for women who write, has just launched two writing competitions for poets, and one for novelists. For poets of all levels and backgrounds, the Mslexia Women’s Poetry Competition for individual poems has a £2,000 first prize and is judged by Kathleen Jamie. For poets who have a small collection of their work, the Mslexia Women’s Pamphlet Competition is for collections of 18-20 poems of 20-24 pages, and the first prize is publication of the pamphlet by Seren Books. Deadline for both: 17 June. For prose writers, there’s the 2013 Mslexia Women’s Novel Competition. The first prize is £5,000, and the judging panel is made up of three high-profile judges: BBC arts journalist Kirsty Lang, award-winning novelist Val McDermid, and literary agent Charlotte Robertson. The winner of the first Mslexia Women’s Novel Competition in 2011, Rosie Garland, has just seen her winning novel, The Palace of Curiosities, published by HarperCollins – so it really is a fantastic opportunity that opens doors beyond the initial prize, too. Deadline: 23 September, so you have enough time to really hone your entries. Details for all competitions are at www.mslexia.co.uk.

Words Across Northumberland seeks writer in residence Words Across Northumberland, run by Hexham Book Festival, is seeking a writer in residence for a three-day residency in Rothbury in June 2013, leading to the production of a piece of prose or poetry by the end of October 2013. The aim of the residency is to enable the writer to spend a period of time, meeting staff and visitors and creating a story/collection of poems based around the theme of floods/flooding and climate change, inspired by the experiences of the local people.  It is hoped that the residencies can take place by the end of June 2013. Deadline for applications: Tuesday 30 April 2013. For more information, click here.

ing groups and workshops

Back to Basics writing workshop Bishop Auckland Town Hall: Wednesday 1, 8, 15 and 22 May, 2pm-4pm Whether your aim is fiction, memoir, family stories or factual writing, join Bishop Auckland author Wendy Robertson in Back to Basics, a special series of four writing workshops across May. Tickets: £2 with information from Bishop Auckland Town Hall on 03000 269 524.

Writers’ retreat day The Morritt, Greta Bridge, Barnard Castle: Wednesday 8 May 9.30am-3.30pm This is a day for writers of all sorts who wish to dedicate time and space to their writing. The aim of the day is to focus on working on a personal project. Creative writing coach Judith Lesley Marshall will provide a selection of resources to facilitate the process. For further details see www.durhamcreatives.co.uk or telephone 07808 063944

Choreology: Dancing Poetry course with Poetry School Alington House, Durham: fortnightly for five weeks from Wednesday 8 May, 7pm-9pm There are many links between dance and poetry. Course tutor Gillian Allnutt will take up with some of them – with metre, movement, rhythm, pace – and lead the line a merry dance. Cost: £69, £62 (60+), £55 (concs). Book via The Poetry School at www.poetryschool.com.

.Harrogate Crimewriting Festival: Creative Thursday 2013 Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate: Thursday 18 July, 9am-6pm The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s creative writing course for aspiring writers. Creative Thursday gives you the chance to hone your novel and short-story writing skills with a day-long programme of workshops and seminars led by bestselling crime writers, publishing industry professionals and real-life crime experts. Tickets: £99 per person. For more information, see http://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/crime/creative-thursday/.